Town will put $30,000 to school upgrade

The town council of Coulee Dam has voted $30,000 worth of energy credits to help the school district upgrade Lake Roosevelt High School’s gymnasium.

The council heard of a request by school district Superintendent Dennis Carlson and Jayson Schmidt from McKinstry — an energy company assisting the district in putting together an energy saving plan for its schools — for funds for an upgrade project at Lake Roosevelt’s gymnasium.

Coulee Dam received some $37,000 worth of energy conservation funds from the Bonneville Power Administration for the current two-year period. Councilmembers were quick to respond, voting $30,000 of their $37,000 energy incentive funds. The town also uses the BPA fund to offer energy incentives to residents purchasing new appliances.

McKinstry has been working on an extensive plan to upgrade district schools and make them more energy efficient with the bent on upgrading those buildings that will be retained by the district in any new school project.

The school board has given Carlson and McKinstry the task of coming up with a final energy-saving plan for the district.

The cost of upgrading lighting fixtures and controls for all buildings, plus additional items, except the administrative offices, could come to $1 million to $2 million.

The energy project is being pushed now since most of the school district light fixtures and bulbs will soon become obsolete and not be replaceable.

The district is using a combination of grants from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, non-voter funds provided by the board of directors, and savings in energy costs to pay for the project.

The gym has been targeted for attention in the project because it will be retained as part of the facility plan in any building project.

McKinstry will make a final presentation to the board soon.